Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I accept the good intent behind this amendment but I feel requiring the director to consider whether a parent could act effectively on behalf of a child, when considering entitlement to a personal advocate, would make qualifying conditions for the service more stringent. This amendment could be counterproductive in practice because it introduces to the qualifying criteria the notion of whether a parent is in a position to act at any level on behalf of a child.

The word "effective" introduces a judgmental angle to the legislation which could have the opposite of the good effect the Deputy seeks. For that reason the legislation is best left as it is in this regard.

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